LIFE AS SHE KNEW IT
by Goddess of Wraiths
Summary: Jamie Rivers never thought she'd see the likes of Spenser Academy ever again after she moved back to the all girls' school, Linkon Academy. Then her mother met a rich man and suddenly she is whipped back to a place of memories... A place of Reid Garwin.
1. Authors's Note

Author's Note:

I had just bought The Covenant from my local Wal Mart and I could not wait to get home and watch it! I put it in the DVD player, hit play, and was captivated by the movie from scene one. The bowl of popcorn was quickly forgotten.

I thought the shots were great and I loved how they weren't straight on, boring shots, and I thought the movie was very well put together. There were not a lot of big stars in the movie, in fact I hardly recognized any of them, but one really stood out to me and that was Reid Garwin who is perceived by Toby Hemingway. I thought Reid was a great character and I loved watching him in every scene because he was simply fun to watch. He was a personalized character with a specific way of talking, walking, and a custom all-over attitude. Everything about him is attractive to me as an author and I thought writing about him would be fun.

The more I watched the movie the more I came to like him and know him. I decided he had a painful past he didn't much like to talk about, had a group of friends he clung to led by a sometimes domineering Caleb who he envied, was a bit immature and playful, and had a big ego. Obviously, one can tell just by how he dresses and talks that he is a womanizer, and another fact that stands out is that he is misunderstood or wants people to take him more seriously. He wants to be the leader they all look up to as the so-called "Golden Boy" but he doesn't have all the qualities that Caleb does that makes him the suitable boss of all the other Sons of Ipswich. Why would he not put on a show then? If he can't be the perfect leader he could be the perfect bad boy.

Having all these qualities, I found Reid enjoyable and entertaining to write about though it could sometimes be difficult with the variable individual I decided to add to my story, Jamie Rivers.

Why did I add Jamie? Well think about it. What do all stories have? Action, drama, and romance. Try to name one book or movie where there is not a female and male character act even slightly flirtatious at times or have the potential to. If you can name one, think of how well it did on the shelves or in the box office.

Jamie is basically everything I think would be attractive to Reid or suitable for him. When considering a match some might choose a physical or emotional opposite, a perfect match, or someone that complements their character. I thought Jamie complemented Reid and Reid in turn complemented her. They are dramatic and loud, wild and mysterious, and as seductive as witches are professed to be.

This story does not revolve around just relationships between characters, or drama between the characters, but also introduces all the options and doors opened to the Sons by Jamie after they find out she is endowed with the power they too have. After all, I think it would be sexist to say there was not such thing as women having The Power and I think the makers of the Covenant planned to tell of women witches in their second film that still has everyone wondering if and when.

This story also shows how a teen would react when exposed to things that could change or affect their lifestyles. Drugs, sex, and alcohol is what teen years are all about, though some might arguable add rock and roll to that list.

Chapter one of the story takes place about two or three weeks after the movie with Jamie transferring in, being confronted by the demon of her past, and deciding how she should handle that demon.

There are sex scenes because I think it shines a little light on what the characters are, teenagers, and what teenagers do, so there is also drinking, drugs, smoking, and fighting.

I began writing the story a few months ago and kept re-writing it and changing it around until I just submitted my first choice. I think I could make all the others into one-shots just to show how many times I toyed with my options, of which the movie has given me many.

I think another interesting character is Tyler though little of him is revealed, therefore some may find him difficult to write about but I think this supplies even more options. You can make him into whatever you want! Sure you can decipher a few things about him and put the pieces of a many optioned puzzle together and there you have your Tyler Simms.

Disclaimer:

I do not own anything associated with the Covenant other than anything you don't recognize. Jamie Rivers is mine, thoroughly made up. So please do not take legal action on me because _I DO NOT OWN THE COVENANT_!

**Rated Mature:** For semi-graphic sex, drugs, smoking, alcohol, and language

**Reviews and comments welcome!**

So, giving you all of this to dwell upon, I will let you begin LIFE AS SHE KNEW IT and see what you think. I think it is a nice story and if you stay tuned you will see where it goes. I have most of it planned and just have to fill in those annoying gaps! I am revamping daily!

Enjoy!

~Goddess of Wraiths


	2. Reunion

**Chapter I **

**Reunion**

Jamie had walked through the familiar halls of Spenser as a relatively new student for a second time. As soon as she had walked through the doors, it was an all too vivid reminder of an explicit part of her life when she'd done many things for the first time. Reid Garwin had been her teacher, showing her certain things, teaching her particular tricks, and demonstrating many times just how good of a teacher he was.

Jamie shuddered. She would not think about him. She'd moved on! Well, she moved at least, back to Linkon. Linkon had been her school for most of her life. It was a private school, an all girl's school. Jamie had lived in Oregon for a long time, attending that school, learning poetry, sewing, dancing, and other things of the sort. She was a nobody there. Then she'd moved to Massachusetts where she'd remained for a semester, falling in with Reid and the Sons of Ipswich and becoming one of most popular girls at Spenser. Reid had been her best friend, her boyfriend, her everything. Her_ favorite _teacher.

She growled at the memories and promised herself, threatened herself, rather, that she would not think of him again.

She had carefully avoided him since her two weeks back at Spenser. If she'd so much as caught a glance of his luscious blonde hair, she had fled in the other direction. Of course, she'd wanted to go to him, to wrap her arms around him, to pull him in a dark corner and kiss him until she suffocated. She wanted to run her long fingers through his long hair while his hands probed her body like the good old days.

Jamie shook her head. "Well, too bad!"

A girl walking beside her raised her brows and turned to walk in the other direction.

Jamie huffed and rounded the corner, throwing her black hair over her shoulder and walking straight into a hard, warm wall.

Wait…Walls weren't warm.

"Did you miss me?"

Walls didn't talk.

Jamie raised her dark blue eyes up to him. Reid Garwin was hardly a wall. He was the vision of devious magnificence. His untidy, long, blonde hair haloed around his sharply chiseled face with his signature smirk on those full, pink lips, and lastly, there were his vividly blue eyes which flashed with renowned lust.

He slammed her against the wall, throwing his body against hers and crushing his mouth over her mouth before Jamie could step away from him, though you could never be far enough away from him, she didn't just _kiss_; he claimed ownership. His mouth pried hers apart, his hands on her hips. He panted into her mouth and soon that uniformed skirt was riding up her legs, and Reid was a little too close for comfort. Jamie told herself that she didn't want this, that she found him revolting, but her body had a mind of its own and had the will to prove it every moment it got the chance. Especially if that moment contained Reid Garwin. Then, she thought of how stupid she'd been last year, obeying his every command, becoming another one of Reid's whores and she felt he body go limp. About time!

Reid continued kissing; hoping to light her fire but hardly even got a spark going…before it went out.

He pulled back his face, his body still against hers, refusing to budge. "Jamie?"

".!" She said, her nostrils flared. "Now!"

Reid's own nostrils flared. It was nice to touch her, to feel her, to kiss her again. However, he didn't want to stop there. He wanted her like a drug, needed her like a smoker needed a cigarette. He would _not _let her get away this time. No, he'd hold on to this one. If she moved all the way to Hawaii, he'd get her back, he'd chase her down, drag her across the seas, spirit her through the states, and throw her in his room (with him) and lock the door. It's what he should've done to begin with. "No, _Jamie Serene Rivers_."

She flushed. He had shouted that exact name quite a few times…

"Uh-huh, you remember," he smirked. "And you want. You need."

"I need you," she said evenly, "to get away from me."

"Why?" he said, leaning his body against hers. "Don't want to lose control?"

"I never lose control."

"Oh, I can remember a few times."

"That was different."

"How so?"

"I was young. I was innocent. I was stupid."

"That was last year, Jamie. Don't tell me you've changed so much since then."

"You would be surprised."

He bent his head so his lips were a breath away from hers. "Oh Jamie…"

"R-Reid," she said then silently cursed herself. The way she had said his name, fumbling over it in that way she did, was a dead give away to her tumbling emotions, which were tumbling somewhere on Reid Street.

He whispered her name again and said, "Tell me you want me."

Jamie found that she wanted to tell him just how badly she wanted him. But that would be forfeiting her soul to him, much less her dignity. This was a new year at Spenser Academy, her, their, senior year. She would make good grades, be the best she could be, get a scholarship, and get into college. And she would do it all without _any _distractions. She'd been foolish to think that he cared about her. When it came to Reid, who was always looking out for number one (which was spelled R-E-I-D), there was no such thing as focused. He wanted that focus on him 24/7 and if he didn't have that focus, you didn't have him. Most girls dated him for a week or two before they found him a waste of time, or until he found them boring. Jamie had moved, luckily, before he could ditch her. She always knew when it came down to it, which one of those scenarios she'd be in. She'd been obsessed with him to say the least. They'd actually dated for a long time and she was always by his side, in his arms, at the bar. She, Reid, and Tyler.

Oh, Tyler! She'd missed him too. Sweet Tyler Simms, not as innocent as everyone thought. After all, he had betted pink lace one fateful eve at Nicky's…In fact, he always betted pink lace. And if the girl did in fact have on pink lace, Tyler would get with that girl. Often there would pink lace undies lying under his bed and in between the layers of his mattress. Reid's mattress on the other hand…

"What are you thinking?" Reid asked.

Jamie looked back at him. He looked confused and a little hurt. Like always, he needed that focus back on him.

"That's classified," Jamie said.

"How so?"

"Are you going to answer all my questions with a question?"

"Do you want me to?" An unmistakable smirk was on his lips.

"I want you to get yourself off me."

"Really? Is that what you want?"

"Reid!" Jamie nearly punched him as he pressed even more against her. If that was even possible.

"Hmm?" he asked, eyes closed.

"I…can't…breathe…"

"I know," he murmured. "I get that a lot, Jamie."

"Really…" Jamie gasped for air.

"Really," Reid nodded .

"No! I really…can't…b-breathe!"

Reid's eyes flew open at the panic in her voice and he released her, biting his lip.

Jamie doubled over, coughing and sputtering.

Reid watched her, found she was going to survive, and said, "I never forgot about you."

Jamie found her air and lifted her head, long black hair cascading in tousled layers around her face. Her teeth were bared, her dark blue eyes wide, her angled face red with frustration. "You are full of it! You're the same as any other guy, you know. You back me against the wall, basically rape me—"

"Rape is forced—" Reid argued.

"—then you say you—" Jamie ignored him.

"—and you have to not like it—"

"—miss me—" Jamie said a little louder.

"—and you were liking it!" Reid said louder.

"—and expect me to fall under your spell?"

Reid smiled and said, "A spell? Why didn't I think of that?"

"Just stay away from me."

"Or what?"

"Leave me alone!" Jamie started walking in the other direction, smoothing her skirt and running her fingers through her hair.

"Wait!" Reid called, running after her and grabbing her by her shoulders, spinning her around to look into her eyes. "Jamie, I'm not like I was! I'm a changed man!"

Jamie was beyond angry. "_You_ of all people? _You_? _You're _different?" She shoved him and took a step forward, forcing him to back up a step. "_You are a womanizer_! You think you are going to trick me? Well, _you're NOT!_ I am not going to fall for _any _of it!"

Reid swallowed.

"So leave," she took a step, "me," another step, "alone." On the final step, Jamie shoved him into the wall and pointed a finger at him. "And I mean it."

Jamie did mean it. If he had the nerve to try her again, she would show him just _how _much she'd changed.

She marched away from him and this time, he didn't try to follow her or stop her. Wise, she thought.

She didn't look over her shoulder, but deep inside her, she felt _it_ stirring like _it_ did when _it_ wanted to be used. _It_ wasn't anything imaginable and Jamie was constantly questioning _it_.

Of four things, she knew:

She was different

She had some sort of odd power

It was addictive

And she was alone

Or so she thought…

No one is every truly alone.


	3. Nine Lives

**Chapter II**

**Nine Lives**

Jamie walked into her dorm, room 213, at three in the morning a little hung over. She flipped on the light and screeched, throwing her hands up to shield her eyes. It was so bright! She was without a doubt, a little drunk. Jamie was not much of a partier, but she had to get out of the damned school with all the vibrant memories. Therefore, she'd went to the other side of the town, staying clear of Nicky's and the beach. Reid could be at either of those locations, ready to bombard her with all the things of her past that could lead up to a lot of reminiscing. Jamie could use a felt like a little 'reminiscing', she thought. After she'd moved, she hadn't touched another man. Of course, they'd came up to her, asked to shag when she was outside of Linkon, the all girl's academy. Jamie had waved them off.

She'd been friendless for months back at Linkon where the others girls had welcomed her back into her former position of a nobody and she'd been alone for months. Not that it mattered because she was always alone, especially these days. Except for the writhing, liquid destruction inside her.

Jamie flinched.

There was only one thing more abusive to her than memories of Reid and it was the thing inside her. It wasn't an animal, though if it was it would be a beast for sure. It wasn't some sort of demented spirit, though it made her feel demented. It was not magic, although it was some sort of power. She didn't know what to call it, just calling it The Power. Needless to say, she didn't always have 'The Power' and she wasn't born with it.

She remembered clearly, when it had became a part of her. Jamie had been sleeping when suddenly she'd bolted awake. She was hot, on fire. She'd sped into the bathroom and soaked herself in water, shaking, but to no use. The heat spread throughout her body quick as wildfire and Jamie could only lie there, petrified. Then, just when she felt she was going to burst into flames, she felt coldness creeping over her. She had welcomed the icy cold gratefully. Followed by the coldness, which had her begging for the fire to return, she was being assaulted by electrifying bolts of what could only be described as lightning. After, there had been torturous blasts of wind and after _that_, she couldn't feel, hear, or see again.

Her first feeling was of the thing inside her stretching and flexing. It was hungry for exercise. Jamie had been so afraid, had felt violated. Yet, she'd used. She was able to jump far, run fast, and was immeasurably strong when using it, and using came as easily as second nature.

It was easy, it was exhilarating, and it was addictive.

Jamie had felt The Power begging to be used again and again and again, but she'd stopped using when the thought came that she could actually become infatuated with using as a sad teen became infatuated with drinking and quickly developed into an alcoholic. She did not want to develop into anything of the sort.

Now, Jamie thought, she hadn't used for at least a month. The Power had went away into hibernation until she'd been confronted by Reid. Something about him made The Power reawaken and want to reach out and use. And use. And use. More reason to stay away from Reid.

The next morning, Jamie woke up with a killer headache. She swallowed some aspirin and went for a shower. By the time she got out, it was seven. Her first class wasn't until eight so she had time to grab some breakfast.

Jamie was in her black Corvette filling up on gas while sipping a steaming cup of Starbucks fifteen minutes later.

Yeah, Jamie told herself, that Corvette invented speed. She had a red, 2005 Mustang GT back at home. Her mom always drove it though so Jamie had begged her for a Corvette, which Eleanor Rivers obliged.

Jamie was a car whiz. She was obsessed with them and, like the night before as she drank drink after drink, would race them for cash. It would have to be a lot of cash for Jamie to race because if she was going to burn her tires, she needed money to have them replaced.

Jamie walked into the station to pay for her gas. She was munching on a donut when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder.

"Jamie?" It was Tyler. Dark hair, brilliant eyes, stunning smile, image of beauty. Her best friend next to Reid, she recalled. Well, before, she amended.

When she'd moved, she'd lost all contact with him and Reid and everyone else at Ipswich as her mother had snatched her phone and demanded she focus on her grades and studies back at Linkon where there were "obviously less distractions according to your grades, young lady!" But, her grades had drooped even more back at Linkon as Jamie had been depressed and overwhelmed by her newest disturbance, The Power. Her mother, after being ignored by her only child for weeks, granted Jamie a second opportunity at Spenser where Jamie may prove that it were the better school of learning.

Tyler hugged her and cleared his throat. "How are things?"

Jamie raised her brows. "Are you kidding me, Tyler? How the hell do you think things are? I assume Reid spilled his guts to you, telling you _his _summary of how cruel I was to him. I am not going to back up against some wall and let him do as he pleases to _me_ in the halls! In fact, it would be wise of him to stay away from me, Ty."

Tyler sighed. "What happened, Jamie?"

Jamie told him how Reid had slammed her against the wall and taken advantage of her in her stunned state, kissing and feeling and stripping her of her liberty (and ability to think). Tyler listened, smiling softly and laughing when he found something amusing. Jamie told of their conversation, how Reid had nearly squeezed the life out of her, how he'd claimed he had missed her, and of him being different. She ended with telling him how she'd went out last night and got drunk and now her emotions were all in a knot. "And Tyler, I can't fall for him again."

Tyler shook his head. "Jamie, why not? You were so happy with him."

"I didn't know any better!"

"Yes you did. You were sixteen."

"Yes, I was young. When someone tells you they love you at that age, you can forget about everything and block out the world just for that one person, for that one _lie._"

"How was it a lie?"

"He cheated on me! He broke my heart, dammit!" Jamie said furiously, glaring at Tyler. "I won't be so stupid this time. I know what's for me."

"No. No you don't," Tyler said. "Because if you did, you would know that man whose heart _you_ held in _your_ hands last night and broke was for _you_. And," he held up a hand to silence her as she opened her mouth to protest. "He never meant to hurt you, Jamie."

Jamie clamped her lips together. She paid for her gas and offered Tyler a ride back up to school. He had told her his Hummer was with Reid and he'd got a ride off Pogue.

"Sure. I hate riding on his bike. The thing goes way too fast for my liking and I like things that have four wheels, not two."

"His _Ducati_," Jamie corrected, "is as dangerous as any other vehicle. As long as you trust the driver, then you have nothing to fear."

"Then I have lots to be afraid of."

Once they got into her Corvette and were on their way back to school, driving the _speed limit_, which was something new to Jamie, Tyler jumped on her.

"Why are you so stupid, Jamie? You know you want to date him and you know you still love him. He cheated on you because you were being a bitch and it got your attention didn't it?"

Jamie took no notice of him, her eyes on the road.

"Maybe if you were a better girlfriend to him to begin with—"

Jamie turned on the radio, turning it up so it drowned out his voice.

Then suddenly, her radio went silent. "What the hell?" Jamie shrieked. "That was brand new!"

Tyler smiled to himself then started with his attacks. "What did he do wrong? Nothing. He treated you like an angel. So what if he slept with a few girls every now and then?"

"I hate him."

"Hate. Love. What's the difference? They're both emotions."

"Shut up! Shut up!" Jamie shouted.

"No! You shut up!"

"_Shut up, shut up, shut uuuup!" _Jamie sang.

Tyler and Jamie yelled at each other the entire ride back to Spenser and when they got out of the car, they mouthed each other right into their first class.

Tyler slammed his stuff down next to Jamie and sat in the seat beside her.

"He cheated on me, Tyler. I am not dating someone who took advantage of me and screwed girls behind my back, okay?" Jamie sighed.

"Because you wouldn't have sex with him," Tyler said matter-of-factly.

Jamie's eyes narrowed. "He is not a very patient one, Reid."

There was a long silence before the conversation continued, taking a new direction.

"No, he is not, Jamie," Tyler agreed. "But I think he found the rest of that waiting paid off," he added with a suggestive smirk.

Jamie shrugged. "What can I say? He's a charmer."

Tyler laughed. "_Right_. From what I heard, you weren't satisfied—"

"Shut up! I admit it, all right. I was foolish, I was young."

"You were curious," Tyler added.

"Yes, and curiosity killed the cat."

"But the cat died happy," Tyler winked. "Plus, it has eight more lives."

"It was a black cat, Tyler. It gave up all its other lives in countless accidents and now only has one."

"Then it should use it well and do as it truly wants. Don't let yourself be ruled by the tail, the past. Keep your whiskers in front of you and focus on what _will_ be instead of what _has _been."

"Meow," Jamie smiled. "Call me the cat."

"Nah," Tyler stood. "That would be an understatement. You're more of a tiger." He leered. "Or that's what Reid says anyways."

"Yeah, well Reid taught me all I know."

"You'll have to show me, one day," Tyler said, walking up the aisle as the bell rang, taking his seat.

Jamie laughed to herself and shook her head. Tyler was always a mood-booster. Without him, she would not have came to the conclusion she came to. She would, she confirmed, give Reid a second chance. She had been granted a second chance when her mother had allowed her to try Spenser again. She had been given a second chance when she'd crashed her older Corvette a few months back and bought a new one, there she'd got a redo in both driving and life! She'd had plenty of second chances and she did not know how many Reid had had, but she was bound to grant him just one more.

But as with all second chances, they came with a price. She had to make better grades at Spenser, she had to be more careful with her car and driving, and now Reid was going to have to promise her something. He was going to have to be the best, most perfect, loyal boyfriend a girl could have. And unlike a cat, who had nine chances to get it right, Jamie was only giving him one more chance.

And so, as the bell rang and the students swarmed into the class, taking their seats, Jamie gathered her things up and walked up the aisle, taking her old seat next to Reid. She smiled at him, winked at Tyler, and said, "If a black cat symbolizes bad luck, then why does it have nine lives?"

"Because by the ninth time, that black cat should be so torn up, it has no fur at all," Tyler said. "Therefore," he clasped his hands together, "Jamie, you are no black cat."

"No," Reid said, never taking his eyes off her, "she's a tiger, bro."

Tyler and Jamie laughed while Reid watched, bemused. "What?"


	4. Love Or Lust

**Chapter III**

**Love or Lust? **

"Let's see, let's see," Jamie murmured to herself as she slid her slender fingers over the binding of the books, some incased in old faded leather with raggedy corners while others boasted of newer materials, plastic preserving them protectively.

"Hmm, the King should be around here somewhere," Reid said, clicking his tongue.

"Shh!" Jamie said, spinning around with a finger at her lips. His eyes went from her moist, red lips to the flawlessly manicured nail before them. "Library," Jamie hissed. "Quiet!"

Reid rolled his eyes with a grin and mimed strangling her.

Jamie laughed quietly and bent to look at the books lining the bottom shelf. She knew Reid was checking the view from behind, a hushed whistle escaping his ever defiant mouth. She whipped her head around, trying to fake irritation but she found she was laughing again. Funny, she had been laughing a lot lately with Reid. He made her feel good again, alive. They had been 'dating' now for two weeks and they were six weeks into the school year. Jamie had arrived after the first week of school, avoided Reid for three weeks, and been dating him now for two weeks.

"Need some help, Jame?" Reid asked and began scanning the shelves beside her.

She smiled at the old pet name, something only Reid and Tyler called her, and was amazed by him actually helping her. "King, King, King," he muttered. "Stephen King…"

"Jesus! Where the hell is he?" Jamie sighed, exasperated.

"Who?" Reid asked.

"What do you mean, _who_?" Jamie asked, annoyed. "The King, duh."

"I'm right here," Reid said with a smirk. "You looking for me?"

"I said _The_ King not whatever you are," she teased. She watched his bright blue eyes sparkle and his lips curl up into a smirk. "What are you thinking?" Jamie asked wearily.

"I don't think, I act," Reid replied. It was certainly true.

"That's what I'm afraid of." She turned back to the shelves and let out a little cry of delight as she came across the book. "I could've swore I just checked that shelf. It's like it just, I don't know, _appeared_ there!"

"Maybe it's a sign," Reid said, his lips at her ear, his breath hot in her head. "Things to do besides looking for books all day. Let's go do something, Jame."

"Huh?"

"Let's go. Now."

"Reid? What are you talking about? We have to get this paper done by like, Thursday! And we're supposed to go with Tyler and his new fuck to that dinner party the preps are having for the start of the semester." Tyler had grabbed himself a new girl, tall, blonde, curvy with the short skirt of a cheerleader. They, the cheerleaders, were having a cutesy dinner for a few "select" people to celebrate.

Reid snorted. "Who wants to celebrate coming back to this _school_?"

"Hell with fluorescent lights," Jamie mused. Not Spenser in particular but school itself.

"Right," Reid said and his arms came from behind, coiling like a snake around her hips. "There's a party going on at the beach tonight."

"Reid there's a party at the beach _every_ night."

"And?"

"Tyler asked us to go with him and we said we would so that's that," she said firmly, slapping his hands away. And he said he'd changed! Tuh!

"Fine, fine," Reid said and grabbed a book at random from the bookshelf and pulled Jamie to the counter to check out their books.

They walked side by side back to their dorms. Reid bumped her with his hip and Jamie bumped him back. Reid laughed and grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the school into the open yard. Jamie giggled and let him haul her out into the middle of the yard and twirl her around, swinging her about with a playful smile. "My little dancer. Dance for me, baby. Dance for me like you used to dance for me."

Jamie blushed and said, "That would get us a few days of detention. My mom would have me dragged out of here by my ear. God, I almost want to just to see what she'd do."

Reid took the book from her hands and threw it aside along with his own. "Fast or slow?"

"_Excuse_ me?"

"Fine, slow," Reid said and pulled her closer, hands on her hips, swaying to music only he heard. Jamie was gaping at him. He smirked and put her hands behind his neck.

"Reid! We're really gonna dance right here? In front of everyone?"

"It's not the kind of dancing _I_ like, I admit," Reid said, "but I really feel like dancing. You're the only girl that could dance to my beat," he said, raising his brows mischievously. "My partner. I'd ask you to dance every time. Those other girls don't even begin to compare, Jame. You dance like no other. Fast, slow, any way in between."

Jamie felt her entire body grow hot and her inner beast roared.

"Not getting embarrassed, are you?"

Ignoring him, Jamie shut her eyes for a moment in an attempt to silence the raging beast inside of her. _No, not now! Not in front of everyone! No! I will not use. I am in control. I can tame it. Shut up! Please stop! Shh!_

"Jamie, are you feeling okay?"

His voice brought her back to reality and she looked away, determined not to let him see the black of her eyes. He would be disgusted. If anyone ever found out she was a witch and could summon up odd powers, make things happen that was to be left to nature, they would hate her, fear her, kill her and run her out of the city, the state, country. If only she'd never read that old book in her great grandfather's library. It had seemed to draw her to it, and as soon as she held it in her hands and turned the first page, she could not put it down. That had been when almost a year ago. Now here she stood, seventeen, six months from her eighteenth birthday, struggling to control her massive, vast powers.

Reid took her silence as ignorance and he swirled her round and round, humming a sunny tune Jamie recognized as "My Girl". She waited for the feeling to edge away, waited another minute for safe measure, and looked at him with a sweet smile. "Reid, am I your girl?"

He looked confused and blinked. "Yes, yes you are."

"How much do you care for me, Reid Garwin?"

"A lot, Jamie. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Reid," she replied with a sincere smile. "I really do but I am worried about you, about us. I remember how you used to be. I knew you fucking inside out, Reid. You are my best friend in the entire world and there is little I wouldn't do for you."

Reid looked uneasy. "Are you sure you're okay, Jamie-baby?"

"Yes, I am sure. I just never realized how precious you are to me, how much I want you, need you. Reid, I want there to be an us, not a 'you'. Not a 'me'."

"I know, and we are. There's some shade over there if you need to sit down, honey." He steered her to a tall tree and they sat beneath it. Reid fanned her apprehensively.

Slapping his hands away, she glared at him and said, "I changed too, Reid. More than you have, I'm sure."

"What's this about? You didn't like, have a kid or something did you? Get involved in gangs? Drugs? Are you an alcoholic? Did you kill someone?" Reid said, voice growing louder with humor with each item he added to the list.

"No, no, no. Reid, I'm not ready to tell you."

"Well then, I guess I'll have to wait, Jame."

She stared at him trying to decipher if he really had changed. He was staring her in the eyes, meeting her blue eye for blue eye, serious look matching her own, his hands clasping hers. His voice was smooth and even, not honeyed like it was when he'd told his lies last year.

She loved him, she knew it. She didn't know if she loved him because he was handsome, _hot_, with the best looks in the school. She didn't know if it was because of the way he strutted about like he owned to world, ruled it from a high throne made of solid gold. If it had been the Reid from last year, it would have been the same high throne with all the glorious décor but instead of being _made_ of pure, solid gold, it would have only been _painted_ in gold. Splotchy gold, full of the places where he had missed a spot or two. Or three or four.

But he appeared to have changed. He was looking at her like she was the most fragile, treasured thing in the world. He looked like he would worship her, his eyes glowing with adoration and passion. She hoped what she saw in there was the love she felt for him and not lust. She desired him but she didn't want to date him for a few long nights. She wanted to call him hers, to brand her name in his flesh, his heart, call him hers. She wanted to believe that above all things he felt for her, love was at the top of the list. If Reid was the same as she had left him, he was only after one thing. His eyes promised, his words promised, but she did not know for sure how he could feel. A tongue was like a snake in more ways than one, slithering in the mouth in the throws of passion, making promises, making up lies.

"I love you. I swear it to you."

She couldn't help it. Jamie leaned over and put her hand on the side of his face and to Reid's surprise, she was kissing him. A slow, sensuous kiss that rocked his world to the very core. He pulled her into his lap and his hands were on her luscious ass. She was kissing him hesitantly, reluctantly at first, then persistently, her hands wrapping around his neck and then sliding to his shoulders and Reid stood, tugging her up to her feet, lips never leaving hers, and slammed her against the tree. Slamming women into hard surfaces was obviously his signature move, Jamie noted. He kissed her hard until she was whimpering against him.

Reid drew in her air, sucked it into his lungs, and gave it back. She sighed and her hands flew up his neck into his hair, her fingers tangling in it, her nails grazing his scalp, and it felt _so good _that Reid let out a groan and shuddered.

"Get a room you two," a familiar voice chuckled.

"Just reacquainting ourselves, Tyler," Jamie panted.

"Yeah, we knew what we were doing. When am I _not _in control of my actions?" Reid said and they laughed.

Jamie smoothed her boyfriend's hair and kissed him slowly on the lips, rejecting his tongue into her mouth. Her lips were a brick wall that he could not slam her into. For once.

"So, are you and Jamie still going to that dinner with me?" Tyler asked his best friend. "Because there is going to be way too much giggling and flirting in there for one man to handle. Reid, Jamie, I need you!"

"Problem, dumb-ass," Jamie said, hands on her hips. "I'm not a man."

"No, but you're one of my men like a soldier, you know? Men being a word that I use to mean-"

"Yeah, we get it," Jamie said, rolling her eyes.

"So, are you gonna turn all preppy now and deck out in your helmet and jersey? Football?" Reid asked, almost hopefully. If Tyler set out to play that sport, Reid could use him as his excuse to play.

"Nah, he's going for the skirts and pompoms," Jamie teased. "Pretty enough. So cute, little Ty-Ty."

Tyler huffed and stamped away from them.

"Wait!" Reid called.

"You forgot to tell me your size! How am I supposed to know what size to buy when I shop for your birthday? What about Christmas? Ty-Ty!" Jamie laughed.

He shot them the finger and walked off. "Seven o'clock!" he called over his shoulder. "And don't forget to shave Jamie. You're a man. Got the mustache!"

"Good one, Tyler," Jamie called back.

"Let him be a baby," Reid said and grabbed their books off the ground. "Let's go _study_ some more under the tree, shall we?"

"Oh we shall," she replied with enthusiasm.

"What subject, this time, Jamie-baby?"

"Anatomy? Chemistry?" she suggested. "Maybe the language of love?"

They ran to a tree in the far corner in the back of the yard and studied for a long time.


	5. I Went There

**Chapter IV**

**I Went There**

_Warning: a semi-graphic sex scene._

The party looked remarkable for a bunch of giggly cheerleaders. The little bash was taking place in the gathering hall where all the celebrations hosted by the school took place. The floors had been swept and mopped until they shined and a few people were actually checking their reflections in the floor, making sure their Gucci dresses and Prada heels looked spick and span.

There were tables lining the sides of the room along the wall with plates of delicious foods from turkey, chicken, and steak down to corn on the cob, peas, and carrots. Another table held bowels of punch and pitchers of lemonade along with basic soft drinks. A sign on the wall said desert would be served after dinner and celebration would follow.

Reid wore nice jeans, free of any holes or grime, with a black shirt that fit him perfectly as if it was designed specifically for him, as it probably was, and he had abandoned his fingerless gloves rather reluctantly. His hair was actually combed so it sat tidily on his head and his blue eyes were glowing with anticipation for a good, hearty party.

Next to him, in a black Chanel dress she had just gotten the day before at the mall and charged on her Visa, was Jamie. She wore a matching pair of black satin Manolo stilettos that showed off her perfectly pedicured feet and her slim ankles. Her long, black hair fell down her back in a sheet of black ice and her eyes were lined in dark eyeliner, eyelids coated in silvery powder shipped in from Bendel's in New York, and her lips were shining from a fresh coat of lip-gloss.

"Mmmm, you smell good," Reid said as he kissed Jamie's neck. "You look good, too."

She laughed as he nipped her neck gently and pulled her towards Tyler who was wearing an Armani suit though his shirt was un-tucked and his sleeves rolled up, tie absent and top two buttons unbuttoned. His hair was tamed for once, like Reid's.

"Hey, bro," Reid said and Tyler turned with a wide smile on his face and pounded fists with his best friend.

"Hey," he said. "Hey to you too, James," he added wryly to Jamie.

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay! Sorry for joking around with you, Tyler. Just trying to have a little fun! Don't call me _James_." She fluttered her dark lashes and Tyler laughed, pulling her in for a quick hug, stroking her bare back. "Nice dress, by the way," he whispered into her ear.

Jamie smiled at him and clasped hands with Reid who had been making a show of huffing and puffing at the sight of his girlfriend in the arms of his best friend. "Behave, Reid."

"Fine," Reid said and turned his attention back to Tyler. "So where's _your_ girlfriend?"

As if on cue, a leggy blonde launched herself into Tyler's arms and giggled. Her hair was beach blonde and worn in waves down her back that was covered from her shoulder blades down. Obviously a little self-conscious, Jamie thought.

"This is Lacey," Tyler said and the blonde turned around. Jamie's perception of the girl quickly changed as she saw the plunging neckline, which was actually quite fashionable, displaying her deep cleavage. Her dress was all sparkles, glittering with her every movement since it was covered in sparkly rhinestones that could _not _be _diamonds_! There were way too many of them; the dress would have cost a fortune.

"Hey, I'm Lacey Hamilton," the girl introduced herself with a toss of her blonde hair, which sent a breeze of frilly perfume over Jamie and Reid. Reid being the man he was, his eyes quickly took her in and he gave Tyler an approving nod.

Jamie admired her bulky rings and her twinkling nails which were incrusted in rhinestones. Her face bore makeup similar to Jamie's though her lips were a bolder, deeper red. _Ouch! This girl shimmers like fireworks in the dark sky!_ Jamie thought.

"I'm Jamie Rivers," Jamie said and smiled at her. "Nice to meet you."

"_You're_ Jamie Rivers?" Lacey asked, flabbergasted. "I have heard _so_ much about you! You were like, the most famous girl at Spenser last year! Now I never hear your name," she said sympathetically.

"I _just _came back," Jamie explained. "I've been here for two weeks now and I'm trying to stay on the, you know, _down low_. My mom was pretty pissed when she heard all of my crazy stories." She brushed a strand of hair out of her face and glanced at Reid but his eyes were staring her down. "And this," she elbowed Reid gently to prod him from his stupor, "is my boyfriend-"

"_The_ Reid Garwin," Reid said and held out his hand to shake Lacey's smoothly lotioned palm. "At ease." Just like Reid, thinking he was hot stuff in front of this new girl, forgetting all about Jamie and Tyler. Some called what he had charm but what he really had was an unsurpassed ego.

Lacey laughed. She took in his choice of attire, decided he must be making a statement in his casual clothes and said, "I've heard _all_ about you, _The Reid Garwin_." She winked and blushed. "Tyler tells me many, _many_ stories. You are like, really extreme."

Jamie and Tyler locked eyes and he smiled lopsidedly.

"So how long have you and Jamie been dating?" Lacey asked and her shoulders moved back. Jamie's eyes became slits. _Tell her Reid_, Jamie thought. _Tell her how we are madly in love and you love me so much and you would always love and protect me._

"Not very long," Reid said.

Jamie let out a breeze of air. That hurt bad. Just how much had Reid Garwin, the womanizing spoiled brat, changed after all?

Tyler took hold of Jamie's arm and pulled her to his side. Jamie didn't realize she had taken a step forward.

"Tyler and I have been dating for like, a week," Lacey said. "He's _good_ if you know what I mean. I do relationships that way." Lacey winked at Tyler. "We both know it's not _love_ or anything."

Jamie looked up at Tyler who nodded his agreement. "All I need her for is sex," Tyler murmured so only Jamie could hear. "And _she_'s not even _that_ good."

She laughed quietly and Reid looked over at his girlfriend with her arm in Tyler's. He watched her laugh and put her hand warmly on Tyler's shoulder. He saw Tyler whisper something that made Jamie blush and bite her lip, shaking her head. She asked Tyler something and he nodded making Jamie blush even more. "Really?" she said a little excitedly and Tyler gave her a funny look. "Duh."

"Ty, could you go get us drinks?" Lacey asked suddenly.

"Sure," Tyler said hesitantly. He pulled Jamie along with him, their arms intertwined. "Let's see what they do," he said. "Reid will reject her if she tries anything."

Jamie snorted. "Yeah right." She felt Tyler's arm slip out of hers and wrap around her waist from behind. "I think we should ditch them," he said. "You just told me you and Reid haven't done the deed again since you've gotten back together. You're probably craving some good sex. Let me show you what Lacey meant."

Jamie laughed again though this time her voice was huskier. "No thank you." Someone was feeling it.

"I knew you'd say no," Tyler said. "One day you'll say yes to me, Jame. You'll say yes over and over again."

"No, no, no," Jamie said as she turned around so her body was against his in an almost intimate way. She pulled Tyler's head down so her mouth was under his ear and she slowly kissed the sensitive spot. "No," she said and Tyler jerked forward. Jamie gasped at the sudden feel of his arousal against her thigh.

"Don't make me beg," Tyler said and his hands moved down her body to her firm ass.

Jamie pushed him away and grabbed two glasses of lemonade off the table.

She and Tyler walked back to where Reid and Lacey had been flirting and dropped her glasses. They fell and shattered on the floor sending shards of glass and splashes of yellow liquid around the room.

Reid and Lacey were in an extreme make out session with her arms around his neck, his hands in her hair. It didn't look lustful or rough, it looked tender and romantic.

"Reid! _What the fuck!_" Jamie shouted and Reid jumped away from Lacey. _"WHAT THE FUCK!" _

Reid's eyes were huge and he opened his mouth as if he were about to explain then looked away.

Jamie expected her eyes to well up with tears but instead she was angry. Why should she be sad when she had predicted this happening from the beginning? "I hate you," she said, her voice smooth and even.

"Settle down, Jamie," Lacey said. "I can explain."

Tyler was standing to the side with a blank expression on his face. He sipped from his drink.

Jamie raised her thin, dark brows at Lacey. "Oh hell no," she said.

"We were just feeling it. The song and the flowers," she waved a hand as if the pink flowers hanging from the ceiling explained everything. "And I think it was me. I thought he was so _hot _and-"

However, she didn't finish her sentence because Jamie soared across the room, face to face with Lacey Hamilton, cheerleader.

"Bitch! You stay the hell away from me! Don't even dare talk to me or explain your actions to me, dirty slut. You shut the _fuck_ up!"

"Oh, no you didn't!" Lacey howled.

"Yeah. I went there."

"You're the bitch!"

"Dirty slut, bitch, and whore!" Jamie yelled back. "Plastic Barbie!"

"Don't you-"

"That's my man you kissed! That's _my_ man you had your fake hands all over! That's _my man_ you were fooling around with!"

"And what are you going to do about it?"

Jamie slammed her fist in the girl's face, feeling her knuckles pound Lacey's nose. "That," she snarled, "is what I'm gonna do."

Lacey picked herself up off the ground and launched herself at Jamie but she ducked out of the way and Lacey fell on her face. Jamie laughed and pulled her up by her hair.

Lacey dove again, her nails cutting into Jamie's arms and kicking with her heeled feet. Jamie didn't flinch. Instead, she initiated into a full-fledged assault with her clenched fists, hammering Lacey. She snarled as Lacey bit her and pummeled the blonde with her hard hands. Lacey whimpered and fell to the ground. "Yeah. I went there," Jamie said for a second time. She smiled with satisfaction at the sight of the cheerleader's expensive dress tattered.

She thought Lacey would be smart (for the first time in her blonde life) and stay there but she got to her feet wobbly and kicked off her heels. "I'll give you a sec to take off your heels, too."

"I can kick your ass with mine on, thank you," Jamie smiled.

Lacey flew at her, a mess of frizzing blonde tresses and shredded fabric. Her arms were outstretched and two of her nails were broken, ready to scratch Jamie and infect her with some sort of STD. Blood gushed from the cheerleader's nose and trickled down her throat. Jamie saw all of the details and knew The Power must be awakening by the scent of blood and feel of death. She knew she'd have to end the fight before she ended a life. Lacey came at her, suddenly moving at a normal rate rather than in slow motion, and Jamie twisted around, watching her fly over her head then throwing out a hand to grab her by her dress and bring her to the floor. Lacey sniveled painfully.

Jamie's head was spinning and she had an exhilarating feeling all about her that made her want to laugh with glee and take flight. The Power clawed its way up her throat and she laughed a derisive laugh. She had taken care of lacey, for sure.

"Damn."

Jamie turned around and saw a room full of wound up teens staring at her like she was a goddess. Most of them erupted into the cheers and clapped. Some of the others rushed to Lacey to see if she was going to live.

"Umm, Jamie?" Tyler said and Jamie looked at him. "Come here! Now!"

Jamie followed him into the hallway outside of the room and Tyler pulled her with him, beginning to run. "Hurry! Come on!"

Tyler pulled her into his arms and carried her into the parking lot then put her in his Hummer, and then the doors slammed shut by themselves. "Oh God," Tyler muttered as he looked at Jamie. "It's not possible!"

Tyler shoved his keys in the ignition and revved the engine, screeching off.

"What's not possible?" Jamie asked. "I didn't kill her or anything!"

"What the hell are you?" Tyler asked in a strange voice. "You _are_ a _woman_?"

"What? Of _course_ I'm a _woman_! Why?" Jamie watched Tyler's chest rise and fall in quick motions and he looked agitated. "What's wrong, Ty?"

Tyler pointed at her. "Something's wrong with _you_ not _me_."

"_What. Are. You. Talking. Abouttttttt?" _she asked slowly, pausing between each word and dragging out the last. What was his deal? He didn't seem particularly upset that she had just trashed his girlfriend, probably _ex_-girlfriend as Reid was sure to become _her ex_-boyfriend.

"Jamie, look in the mirror!" Tyler said.

"Oh, _you_ look in the mirror! What did I do? Beat the shit out of your damn girlfriend because she was fucking my boyfriend on the dance floor?" Lacey deserved all she got and then some!

"No, look in the mirror," Tyler said. He reached and pulled down the sun visor, and Jamie glared at herself in the tiny, shiny mirror that was lit by little, color changing lights on either side of it. Reid and Tyler liked to look good.

"I'm looking…Little bitch scratched my neck!"

"Look at your _eyes_."

She looked at her eyes, expecting them possibly to be bruised a blue-ish black color, finding them to be black indeed, but by a whole new standard. Two lumps of shining, black, glacial, coals-of-eyes stared back at her. The way they got when The Power woke. "Oh…I forgot."

"Tell me you can explain. Tell me your pupils just dilate when you get crazy and you have to take medication for them but you forgot to this morning so they're acting up again and it's just a coincidence that you're in Ipswich, Massachusetts with those eyes and fighting skills and if only you had taken your medication this morning, your eyes would be back to normal and you're sure as hell not a witch or anything of the sort, so help you God!" Tyler alleged quickly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jamie said, turning her head to look out the window and trying to make The Power ebb away and leave her be.

Tyler slammed on the brakes and turned to look at her, pulling her face to look back at him. His own eyes were now black. "It's supposed to be impossible," he murmured.

"What?" Jamie solicited. "What are we?"

"We're witches," Tyler explained. "We have The Power and it's really strong. People can get killed by this power and it's dangerous, and it's addictive. I think I should call Caleb and tell him what happened. Maybe he can make sense of things."

"Caleb, I have problem," he said into his phone, a Nokia.

"Tyler? What happened? Is it Reid?" Caleb asked warily. His voice sounded even deeper on the phone.

"No, No it wasn't him for once. Well it wasn't _mostly_ him. It's Jamie-"

"Is she okay? Dammit Tyler! What did she do? What happened? Where are you?"

"We're," he looked out the window "in the middle of nowhere…As for Jamie, well it's really weird. I think she's…I think she's one of, you know, _us_."

There was silence then a matter-of-factly, "That's impossible."

Tyler laughed. "Yeah right."

"Well no one saw her use, did they?"

"She beat up my girlfriend, because of stupid Reid, and I'm not for sure if she used. If she didn't then she'd make an awesome wrestler."

"Just stay away for a little while until I can make sure everything is okay and there are no suspicions. Keep Jamie safe. She might be one of us. Is she…stable?"

Tyler stared at Jamie. Her hair was tousled and her seemingly wholesome eyes, eyes so beautiful of pure, incandescent blue, were swarming with demons. Her flawless skin was splotchy from her fit of anger, an anger that could not be mustered by a typical individual. Her body seemed to be pulsating with angst, her every expression full of vibrant emotions. Her dress had ripped on either side and her bronzed thighs peek out the openings, and she had a red welt slowly disappearing on her shoulder.

"She looks pissed and her designer clothes are trashed. She doesn't look like she's in any physical pain." In fact, he thought she looked _fine_.

"Well that's good," Caleb said sarcastically as if someone had just told him the world was about to come to an end but it was going to be okay because it was going to happen so fast it would be painless.

"Caleb, just settle down." He watched Jamie's eyes glow with an occasional, spontaneous burst of pitch-black and she kept wincing, struggling with an internal battle. He smiled sympathetically, remembering how hard and easy it was when he'd first gotten his own powers. It was easy to use and hard to stop.

"Fine. I'll call you when I'm sure everything is okay. Bye."

Tyler pulled to the side of the road and parked.

"Now what?" Jamie asked him.

"We're lying low until everything is cool back at Spenser. Are you all right, Jame?"

"Yeah, fine. How long is this going to take?"

"Possibly months," Tyler said and Jamie smiled. "But I'm sure we'll think of _something_ to pass the time." The locks clicked shut and the radio changed to R&B station with a slow, steady beat and a whiny, erotic voice.

"Are you suggesting…?" Jamie crossed her arms uncomfortably.

Tyler smiled. "Hmm?" He began slipping out of his tux.

"Tyler, I—"

Tyler brought his finger to his lips. "Shh, save your breath. You'll need it."

Cocky boys could get annoying but if what they said was true, wouldn't it be worth it? Even if they traded girls when they got tired of their own and ignored one another for life? Probably not. Then again, she might change her mind afterward.

Jamie bit her lip as he pulled his white shirt over his head and his bare torso was exposed to her. She allowed Tyler to pull her into the back and he grinned, bringing his face down to hers and gently pecking her lips. She pulled back for a second.

But she was dating Reid! No she wasn't…right? NO! She was over him! And Tyler looked just _delicious_! His skin was magnificent and he was hot, not to mention he was basically throbbing with sexual energy. She had felt it earlier at the party.

She felt Tyler's large hands slide down her bare back, undoing the zipper with one hand and sliding her straps down her arms with the other. Jamie slapped his hands off and made for his pants, tugging them off.

"Oh my God," she gasped as Tyler pulled her into his lap and felt him hard against her.

Tyler pulled the dress from her smooth legs in a single breathless motion and admired her in her black bra and thong sitting in his lap in the most sexual of ways. He continued to kiss her and he did so until Jamie was rubbing against him, dizzy with hunger for him making incoherent sounds.

Tyler pushed her on her back, tore off their remaining clothes, and only the stars over their heads heard their cries of passion.

Tyler did in fact make her say yes many times.

**If you like this story or chapter or, rather, do not, please review or send me a message. It is hard to write a story with no motivation or direction. Is it even worth continuance? Every little thing counts so please take an little bitty bit of time to evaluate this story. Thank you so much.**

**~ G*O*W**


	6. Not a Womanizer

**Chapter V**

**Not a Womanizer**

"Twenty bucks says I'll make the shot," Reid said as he bent over the pool table with his favorite pole in hand, three balls lined up before him as if he were to hit them all in.

"Yeah right," Aaron said. "No one could make _that_ shot."

Reid shrugged and brushed his fingers through his blonde hair. Should he amaze his opponents and make himself a magnificent god in their eyes, or should he humble and miss it?

"I'd like to see you lose twenty dollars," Bordy said.

"Well not today, girls," Reid said. He had a wallet-full of crisp bills but he should not, could not, and_ would_ _not_ lose to Aaron and his posse.

Reid lined up his pole with the string of balls, angled it in a certain way, and with a fast motion the wooden stick shot out and hit the first ball sending it into the other and the other into the other, and, with a little help from The Power, the balls went into separate holes. "Bam," Reid said and laughed. But it really wasn't fun without Tyler.

Aaron gritted his teeth as he threw a wrinkled bill in the middle of the table. "You really had a hold of your balls last night at that party," he said with a sneer. "We all heard what happened, Garwin, and you're lucky that punk-ass girlfriend of yours didn't whip _your _ass. Of course, for all we know she might've _after_ she _dumped_ you. I think any of us would have and if she did not, it's only just a matter of time."

Reid clamped his hands together behind his back. "You would know about last night since you weren't invited, Wannabe. And just for the record, _I _dumped _her_."

"Yeah, well we know people who say otherwise," Bordy said.

"Heard she left with your buddy, too. How does it feel to have your girlfriend, wait, _ex_-girlfriend, break up with you and hook up with your so-called _friend_ on the same night?"

Reid picked at his long-sleeved blue shirt and wrapped the black chord hanging from his neck around his index finger. He unwound his finger from it and smiled at the group in front of him. "Maybe you should ask Tyler."

No one laughed. They all knew what he had done.

"Just like you to do something like that," Aaron said. "I don't think she really deserved that as much as _you_ did."

"Since when is it any of your business?" Reid asked, a little uncomfortably. This could get annoying really quick, he thought to himself.

"Yeah, mind your own business," a sweet voice said from behind them.

A tall blonde woman with long legs and huge eyes smiled at them with her bleached teeth and put her manicured hands on her girlish hips. She was wearing a short skirt and a skin-tight pink camisole that spoke of an expensive boob-job and satiny bra. She wore five-inch Jimmy Choo heels and her face was heavily coated in makeup. Underneath the layer of dried-liquid were numerous bruises and cuts. Her eyes were still dark but they were no longer swollen and she had put on a lot of black eye makeup to disguise that actual bruises provided most of the color.

"Lacey, what are you doing here?" Reid asked with a high-note to his voice. Sure he was glad to see her so he wouldn't have to deal with Aaron and his questions but he had seen enough of her the night before and she was not as good in bed as he remembered Jamie to be, dare he admit it.

"I came to see my baby," she giggled. "Hi boys," she said to Aaron and his gang. "I'm Lacey."

They gave her a dirty look not even needing to hear her last name to confirm she was _the_ Lacey. She looked pitiable and reduced. Her left leg bore a long scratch and her arms were also severely marred with purplish-blue marks she had tried to hide with countless bangles and bracelets. How pathetic.

A loud murmur went through Nicky's and there were shouts of laughter and cat calls.

"Lacey, should you be _here_?" Reid asked her, pulling her into the back of the room. How embarrassing!

"See you later, love birds," Bordy called.

"Love _buzzards_," Aaron corrected.

"I had to see you again, Reid. I needed to tell you how good you made me feel and all the pain went away after you, _we_, did the deed. I think it made me heal faster because all my bruises are almost gone and I don't hurt at all! So that means you can be a little rougher tonight," she said naughtily with another giggle.

"Lacey, that was a one-time thing."

"Are you breaking up with me?"

"We were never dating."

"But we hooked up!"

"You said last night that's usually how you date, Lacey," Reid said impatiently. This girl was just another marble to add to his collection. He hadn't felt anything special as he screwed her. She wasn't like Jamie.

"But you were so good! Great!" she whined and fanned her face like she was about to cry. "I don't want to lose you!"

"I was never yours," Reid said, trying to be gentle but it came out sounding like he was mocking her.

"Ohmigod!" she said and bit her trembling lip. "I need a man right now! I am so broken inside and I don't know what to do. I need a man to hold me and comfort me, tell me I'm going to be alright. Like, that bitch really made me lose it and she got me pretty bad so the least you can do is protect me."

"Oh, I _owe_ you something?" Reid said and laughed. "Protection from _what_?"

"What if I'm pregnant?" Lacey said and rubbed her stomach. "A month or two from now I could be carrying your child, then what?"

"I used a condom," Reid said. He wasn't that dumb. He got around too much to not carry protection with him constantly. He never knew when he might need it. He loved himself too much to get some girl pregnant and have to deal with that _baggage_.

"It doesn't always work," she said. "Would you want me to get it aborted?"

"What? No! I mean, you're not actually pregnant but I would never have a kid killed." This girl really was evil, Reid thought. What had he gotten himself into? Why had he even kissed her the night before? She had come at him and those smoldering eyes, luscious lips, and long hair had frozen him and the next thing he knew they were kissing. Of course, he had no objection while they were kissing. It was afterward when Jamie had disappeared along with Tyler that made a bad night even worse.

Tyler was supposed to be his best friend. For as long as he could remember he and Tyler had always been the best of friends and it was Tyler that understood him. It was Tyler that helped him get through his father's death and it was Tyler that got him out of the grave. Maybe if he had been more considerate to Tyler then he wouldn't be in the situation he found himself in.

For one, Jamie had been his woman and he was proud of her. She was beautiful, she was smart, well-loved and respected, and she had a heart of 24-carat gold. She made him look good, she made him laugh, and she made him ache with love and want. He had been waiting for the right time to sweep her in his arms and lay her down but he never got the chance to. Instead he had ruined his relationship with her by returning to his old ways. But still, she shouldn't have gone off with Tyler. It wasn't fair that the two people we valued most had went and fucked behind his back! Then again, he had done the same thing.

A sharp gasp brought him back to the world. He looked at Lacey blankly.

"Look!" she said, pointing to the door. "She has some nerve!"

Reid looked and his heart dropped. Tyler walked through the door with his arm around Jamie's waist, glorious white smiles on their attractive faces, and they were whispering into each other's ears like they were the only two people in the world. They were oblivious to the people around them who were hooting and cheering and clapping them on the back. They didn't notice they were the center of attention. They probably didn't care.

"I don't think she came here for you," Reid said. He didn't think she came there for him either though a man could always hope.

Reid's heart pounded as he saw Jamie in a pair of long jeans and a Princeton hoodie. Tyler was also wearing a Princeton hoodie but his jeans were darker than her jeans were.

Her long, black hair was gathered in a pony-tail and her angled bangs fell down her face and behind her ear. She was wearing little makeup and her eyes sparkled. She looked utterly beautiful and when she smiled, her teeth weren't a fake white; they were a natural shade of white that came from good nutrition, care, and oral hygiene.

Tyler looked to be enchanted by the goddess before him in her hoodie and jeans. His hair was as wild as usual though it looked darker, as if he had just gotten out of the shower. He was all smiles and his own eyes shined.

Reid recognized the look as desire. Both he and Jamie seemed to be overflowing with it. He imagined they had just taken a shower together, lathering each other up and sliding up and down the slick wall, the air hot and humid only getting hotter and foggier as they kissed and touched.

"Let's get out of here," Lacey squeaked, shadowing her face. "She might attack me!"

Reid looked at her and his eyes narrowed. Suddenly all her bruises were more apparent and the fear radiating off her disgusted him. "Why didn't you wear something that covered your body more?" he asked. "Your bruises are showing." She should have been the one wearing the hoodie and jeans and Jamie in the dress.

Lacey looked at him and brought her hand across his face. "I _can_ _see_ how you have a reputation," she said. "Womanizer? _Tuh! _You just can't keep a girl around, you're such an ass. More like woman-_repeller_. Don't ever talk to me again, Reid Garwin."

He watched Tyler and Jamie share fries and sip their drinks. He saw the looks people threw him and he saw how they laughed. He could hear them whisper of how Lacey Hamilton, the one who had been beaten by Reid Garwin's ex-girlfriend, had just broken up with Reid who she had hooked up with the night before.

Lacey turned on her heel and her tiny skirt twirled about her thighs, which made him lick his lips for a moment, until he saw the bruise, uncovered by any makeup or lotions and unveiled by the skirt, a nasty dark color and in the shape of a heart. He knew she had many more as Jamie had done a fine job of whipping the bitch's ass. He knew her skanky attire covered more than they exposed, even if she should have worn more. He had enough of her. He didn't need her, had only wanted her. She could go and see if he cared, after all, she wouldn't be the first and she wouldn't be the last.

**Tell me how you feel about this chapter if you like or do not like. What's wrong, what's right, what should happen, needs to be fixed, and what you think will happen. I am always happy to hear from my readers and my friends! I will discontinue this story if I keep coming up empty in reviews. What's the pint in writing if nobody is reading?**


	7. Let the Games Begin

**Chapter VI**

**Let the Games Begin**

Reid was still at Nicky's, challenging all who had the urge to pick up a pool stick and murdering any of their chances to walk out the door with their heads held high. It was when he was in the middle of a game when his phone began to vibrate.

"Dude, could you like, hit the ball?" the guy Reid was playing against but had forgotten the name of asked.

"Why, in a hurry to lose?" Reid said.

The guy rolled his eyes as Reid flipped open his cell phone to see a message addressed from Caleb on the rectangular screen.

**meeting u no where n 5 mins**

Reid clapped the phone shut and made his shot, getting the last two balls in their corresponding holes. "Score. You owe me twenty dollars, bro."

The guy threw a wad of twenty ones at him. Oooooh, Reid thought. This guy was big and bad with a wad of _ones_ in his pants.

"See you next time, big boy," Reid said and walked out the door. Of course he had not driven to Nicky's, he had used to get there. He had been using a _lot_ lately. That may be what the meeting was about. Thinking on this, Reid grinned and turned on his heel, eyes going black, and disappeared. He landed in front of 'you know where' a moment later.

"What's up, homies?" Reid said as he walked into the dark, dreary space lit by pale candles where the meetings between the Garwins, Simms, Parrys, and Danvers had taken place for a long amount of years.

His eyes took a moment to adjust in the dark and he looked around the room at his friends and took a double take. "J-Jamie?" he said. "What the hell?"

"Hello to you also, Reid Garwin," Jamie said. "How is your evening?"

Reid heard her voice, saw her lips move, and was unable to speak. Her voice was beautiful and he loved the way she talked because she had a slight touch of a southern accent having lived in California for a long time then moving to New York and then on to Massachusetts. He knew everything about her, knew her every flaw and blemish. She was formal in speech and manner when she wanted to be or wasn't trying to be a total bitch, but he also knew that when she lay in his arms after a long hour or two of Reid Garwin's special technique in sexual pleasure that she often talked lovey-dovey to him with her formal words, which was cute and made him smile.

"What is she doing here?" Reid asked. "Isn't this breaking a rule? There _is_ a Covenant, remember?"

"Reid, sit down," Caleb said. "There's something you should know."

He shook his head and sat as far away from Tyler and Jamie, who were sitting together with their hands clasped, as he could get which wasn't very far because the room wasn't all too big.

"Reid, Jamie's one of us."

"What?" Reid shouted and fell from his chair. _"What!"_

"Jamie, would you want to explain?"

She shook her head, still wearing the same clothes from earlier at Nicky's. "No."

"I will," Tyler said.

Reid looked at Tyler with narrowed eyes. "I bet you would."

"We had a meeting earlier," Caleb said, "and we explained the whole history and statistics with Jamie. She knows all about us. We know what happened last night and you are the only one who doesn't."

"_You_ told _her_ about _us_?"

"Yes," Pogue said. "It's legit, man. She really is a Son of Ipswich, a Daughter, that is."

"And probably not the only one," Caleb said.

"Last night, Jamie beat the hell out of Lacey Hamilton and we all know that. What you don't know is that she didn't use when fighting Lacey, therefore she is a fighter," here Jamie hit her fist into her palm. "Afterward I noticed her eyes were black and I got her out of the room as soon as possible to protect her." _To get into her pants while she was vulnerable_. "I drove her to safety and she was baking from The Power so I called Caleb and explained the whole…situation with him."_ And then hade sex with her like it was the Fourth of July!_

"Are you saying that Jamie can use?"

"Can and does," Tyler said.

"She didn't really know it was addictive," Caleb said.

"Oh, I knew," Jamie said. "Something told me that it was bad to use, and it was fun to use, almost _too_ fun, you know?"

Caleb nodded. "Some of us are still having problems learning to control themselves," he said, looking at Reid.

"You had The Power and you didn't tell me?" Reid asked Jamie in a low voice.

"Oh, I told you I had changed a lot but you didn't really pick up the bait. There's a bit you don't know about me," Jamie said in a cool voice.

"Like how you have a taste for the Sons of Ipswich?"

She looked at him and rolled her eyes.

"Of course, you would after you had a taste of the best. How is he, Jamie?" Reid asked.

Jamie's jaw clenched. "You say something?"

"Yeah, I did!" Reid said. He'd say anything to be talking to her.

"Well shut your mouth, no one wants to hear it."

"Oh, is that right?"

"Yes it is."

Reid laughed. "See you already got a new boyfriend."

"Yeah, where's your girl?" Tyler asked.

"Looks like we swapped, _buddy_."

"Is that regret? Jealousy?" Tyler asked and he slipped his arm around Jamie as if to say she was his and to back off.

"I don't know, is it? After all, you must feel pretty bad taking my woman away from me. It's one thing to borrow _your_ dirty little girl but it's a whole other thing to take _my_ perfect one."

"Maybe you shouldn't have treated Jamie like shit," Pogue said.

"Agreed," Jamie said. "And I'm no longer your girl, moron."

"Since when is it any of your business, Pogue?" Reid mouthed.

"You didn't exactly keep your personal life secret or quiet. Everyone kind of knows all about your love life, or should I say _sex_ life."

"Okay, okay, enough," Caleb said.

Reid was fuming. His so-called "friends" were all ganging up on him and Jamie was sitting with Tyler making puppy-dog eyes. She didn't seem to give a flying fuck that he was so strung up on her. He would get her back, torture her with chains and whips, and show her what she had been missing out all while she was with Tyler. Damn old Tyler.

"Tyler, get your hands off my girl."

"Excuse me?" Jamie said.

"_Your_ girl?" Tyler laughed.

"Hey!" Caleb and Pogue chimed.

"You heard me," Reid smirked. "I didn't stutter, bro."

"I don't think she's yours any more," Tyler said seriously. "I know what's good for her." Translation: _I know what's good for __**me**__._

"Have you banged her yet?" Reid asked, his blonde hair ruffled and nostrils flared. Did Tyler risk an honest answer? He knew Tyler had already had her because Jamie had a triumphant smile on her pretty face and her eyes were sparkling impishly. Did Tyler know she was playing him? He would get what he deserved and Reid wouldn't be the one to tell his _ex_-best friend that his _ex_-girlfriend was playing him like a fiddle. She wanted to make Reid jealous. Or so he hoped she did.

"That's none of your concern," Jamie said.

"That's right," Reid said with a forced smile. "Don't deny it."

"Then I won't," Jamie said,

"You wouldn't." Reid said this like he was implying something.

"He was fantastic."

Tyler smiled wickedly and wiggled his eyebrows at Jamie who giggled.

"Yeah and your girl wasn't bad herself," Reid lied smoothly. After all, lying was one of his specialties among many. "She showed me so many of her little tricks, and she was wounded. I played doctor, touched her in all her hurt places, places I made hurt more. She was calling for the doctor every fifteen minutes. Too bad you didn't get the opportunity to taste a real man," Reid said giving her a suggestive leer. "I mean, _this_ semester, sexy."

"Shut your mouth," Tyler said calmly. "Don't disrespect Jamie."

"I'm not, it was a compliment."

"Thanks," Jamie said sarcastically. "Miss you already."

"Everyone, quiet!" Caleb said and got to his feet, slamming the Book of Damnation on the table. "NOW!"

Pogue calmly got to his feet. "A bunch of children," he muttered.

"We're here for a reason, kids," Caleb said. "Class has begun so sit down."

Tyler, Reid, and Jamie stared at Caleb blankly.

"He said _sit down_," Pogue said firmly.

Reid watched Jamie brush her bangs behind her ears and kiss Tyler on the cheek.

"New rule," Caleb said. "No PDA or talking about relationships."

Jamie gritted her teeth and Tyler crossed his arms as if keeping his hands of Jamie for the short time they were 'in meeting' was going to be too difficult for him. Reid didn't blame him.

"The reason we are here is to try and see what the Book of Damnation says about women having The Power. Until, well now, we were under the impression that only the first male born into a family that descends from the five fathering families would inherit the special gift passed down from their own father. Now Jamie has opened a door to many new prospects and opportunities. There could be women with female children that have The Power for all we know," Caleb said, pacing back and forth absolutely blazing with excitement.

Reid had to admit that Caleb had him wondering but his thoughts ran more along the lines of…_There could be more hot women like Jamie with The Power? Enough to have a threesome? _Where could he find girls like that? _Would they have black hair? _Jamie had him craving for another raven-black haired woman with a nice body and a fling for tight, flashy clothes with a touch of sporty. Maybe even one as feisty as her.

"We should try Googling this and see if we can come up with any answers," Reid said. "There could be dozens of other women with The Power."

Caleb shook his head.

"Wait, did you say _five_ fathering families, earlier?" Jamie asked. "There's only four. Am I supposed to be the fifth, because that wouldn't really make any sense?"

"No," Caleb said slowly. "We met a descendant from the fifth a few weeks back. You missed him by a week or so when you transferred here. Have you heard any stories about a certain man named Chase Collins?"

"Yeah, supposedly belted you in swimming?"

"_He used,"_ Caleb said defensively. "I would have won."

"I heard Pogue didn't get along with him either."

"Douchebag made a move on my girl and even cursed her with this insane spell. She was in the hospital for days. Put me in there too, ruined my bike. That's why my new one is overhauled," he explained. "I figured if I had to buy a new one it might as well be an awesome one with a bit more power under the rims."

"But he actually acted like he liked me," Caleb said. "I thought we were going to turn out to be friends. But eventually the whole factor that he was constantly threatening me and tried to kill me because he wanted my power would have been annoying. So in the end one of us had to go."

"Bummer," Reid said. "I didn't much like the guy."

"You don't like much of anyone," Tyler said.

"It's the other way around," Jamie amended and Tyler shared a laugh with her.

Caleb rolled his eyes.

Jamie was annoying with Tyler, Reid thought. "What about Googling?"

"Would that kind of information be on the internet?" Pogue asked doubtfully giving him a pitiable look.

Reid flipped him off. "You never know asshole."

"You would know plenty about asshole," Pogue said. "Mr. I-take-it-up-the-butt."

"Whatever, Pogue," Reid laughed. "You would be the one dropping the soap."

Pogue laughed and high-fived Reid. "Bro," he said.

Caleb shook his head for possibly the tenth time that night and cleared his throat. "I guess it's pointless to ask if you knew any one else with The Power," he said to Jamie.

"Yes, I thought I was alone," she replied. "I never knew there would be more of what I was."

"You don't know who you inherited it from?"

"No idea whatsoever."

Caleb sighed heavily. "Could you get a copy of your bloodline? Possibly dating back to the Seventeenth-Century?"

"Sure, I could try," Jamie shrugged. "Do you think you could find some sort of a link?"

"Could try," Caleb said. "Put a little effort into things. If you want something bad enough you can get it. It just depends on how much you _need_ it. If you _want_ something then you don't get it. If you_ need _something, that's when you want it bad enough."

Reid found himself wondering if Caleb was still talking about the information he sought or giving him some advice. He didn't ever want to be so vulnerable that he actually had to depend on someone, to _need_ someone. Maybe he could make Jamie want him, _need _him.

"When do we start?" Reid asked.

"Whenever you're ready," Caleb replied.

"I was born ready," Reid said. "Let the games begin."


	8. Done With Spenser

**Chapter VIII**

**DONE WITH SPENSER!**

Tyler and Jamie sat side by side in the cafeteria with a tray of fine food before them. Most people liked to leave during the hour lunch break for off-campus lunch but the food wasn't terribly bad, in fact it was quite good. Besides, Jamie wanted to go to the library and look some things up before the break was over and eating lunch at school gave her extra time.

"So, it was about Lacey, right?" Tyler asked taking a bite of his pizza and washing it down with a sip of Coca Cola.

"Yeah," Jamie said, twisting the noodles of her spaghetti around her fork. She wasn't very hungry after talking about Reid for forty-five minutes with the provost.

"What did he want to know? Just about the fight?"

"Sure, sure. Just like everyone else he wanted the details and I gave him what he asked for. He told me all this shit about Lacey being quote unquote looking like she got hit by a train and then he wanted to know about my relationship with Reid and I informed him that we are _over_!"

Tyler nodded. "Speaking of Reid, he talked to me earlier today in first period."

Jamie whipped her head around to ask in frenzy, _"What did he say?"_

"He said you were high-maintenance and I couldn't handle you, blah blah blah, and then went on to say she—you —needed a real man and I was hardly a _real _man like him because he was way more experience and he knew you outside _in_."

"_Knew_," Jamie said. "Past-tense."

Tyler smiled as Caleb and Sarah sat down beside them with their tray of food.

"Didn't feel like off-campus lunch today?" Jamie asked.

"My car's in the shop and I didn't want Caleb to use up all his gas on me," Sarah said and planted a little kiss on her boyfriend's cheek.

"Aww," Kate said, sitting down with Pogue, salad in her hand. "So _cah-ute_!"

Caleb sat across from Pogue, Kate sat across from Sarah and Tyler sat _beside_ Jamie. Needless to say there were two empty chairs in front of them should the need arise that two people that would be _very_ wanted at the table should need a spot.

"Hey," came the voice of Reid. "What's up boys?" He had his arm around a blonde girl that looked familiar.

Jamie stared at the girl. Her skirt had been taken up two inches so it showed off more of her long legs and tanning-bed brown skin. The top two buttons and bottom two button of her blouse were undone and you could see the beginning of her cleavage and naval. Her thin, blonde hair was pulled up into a high pony-tail and she smelt of 'sugar and spice and everything nice'.

"Reid," Caleb said. "I hope you're just stopping by to say hi."

"I am," said Reid as he sat down across from Tyler, setting a bag of fast-food on the table. "Sit down, Stacey."

Stacey. Stacey Hamilton, Lacey's sister. Jamie's chest rose and fell with her sudden annoyance. "Stacey…_Hamilton_, right?" she asked through clenched teeth.

"Correct," she said. There was no annoying giggle to her voice and she was not covered in glitter, unlike her sister. She looked like a whore. "You beat up my sister," she said and Jamie noted that her voice was softer than her older sister's. Reid was dating a _junior_?

"_Correct."_

"I'm a lot tougher than her," Stacey said. "Meaner, too."

Jamie took a bite of her pasta. "Really?"

"It's true," Reid said. "She's like a rabid hyena."

"Better than all the other girls you've dated," Stacey cooed. "Duh."

Jamie's plastic fork busted in her hand.

"I mean, they all look kind of," she looked at Jamie and wrinkled her nose, "washed-out."

Tyler grabbed Jamie's hand, the one that wasn't holding the broken fork, under the table. Like that was going hold her back.

"Reid," she said. "I'd have to say your standard is dropping. I mean, I thought so when you were dating Lacey but this one, she flat-out stupid. I swear to God, she must have a death wish." _She's better off dead! I'll kill that sister of a bitch!_

"Quit talking about me like I'm second-person," the dumb blonde said.

"Third person," Jamie said. "Rocket science?"

"Should I get her, Reid?" Stacey asked, tugging on his arm.

"Reid!" Caleb said. "Get your lunch, get your girl, and get your _ass_ out of here."

Jamie wasn't the only one fuming. Tyler was angry that Reid had stooped so low as to get a girl that was a sister to Lacey, Caleb was mad because Reid was trying to start trouble, Pogue was upset because everywhere he went there was girl drama, Sarah was irritated because people kept making Caleb mad, and Kate was annoyed because she had just finished her salad and was still hungry. But that was her own fault because she was the one who thought she had to constantly diet.

Reid held out his arm indignantly to Stacey. "Let's get out of here, babe. I can see were are _unwanted _by the boss and his boyfriends." She took his arms and they walked off together, Reid snootily and Stacey with distaste. "Whores," she muttered as she waltzed off with Jamie's ex.

"Can you go a day without fighting?" Caleb pleaded. "Honestly, Jamie! This is starting to get annoying."

"Just ignore Reid," Pogue said. "It can't be that hard. _We_'ve all been doing it!"

"Maybe you should just overlook him," Tyler said. "He's doing all _that_ to get your attention and it's working. You're falling for everything he does."

Jamie's eyes went cold, her body went rigid, and her knuckles popped from the force at which she was clenching her hands. "It' not like I'm trying to," she said icily. "If that's what you're implying." She grabbed her tray of hardly touched food and carried it to the trash can, walking out of the cafeteria doors.

"Jamie! Wait up!" Tyler called. "Quit being irrational!"

She turned so fast that Tyler ran into her. "What do you mean _irrational_?"

"It seems like Reid knows you a lot better than I thought. He knew all the right things to pull to get your attention and make you want him."

"What? _What?_" Jamie stormed. "God, Tyler! You can so damn ridiculous sometimes. We're together, are we not? We're _fucking_ every night, need I remind you. We have some sort of romantic-ish relationship. We make out between classes, we hold hands in the hall, and we flirt. What makes you think I like _that_ asshole? Of course he got my attention! He brought that slut over there to make me mad and it worked, _Ty-ler_! I don't see where you're getting all of this from!"

Tyler looked at her with a slightly amused expression on his face. "I knew this would never last," he sighed.

"How is it not?" Jamie asked though she knew all they had been doing lately was watching each other out of the corner of their eyes, seeing who they talked to, laughed with, and acted somewhat flirtatious to. "We're just paranoid. My ex and your ex hooked up and we hooked up so I guess this is what would eventually happen. This whole thing happened out of spite, right?"

"No, I've loved you forever," Tyler said. "But I would have never had sex with you in the back of my Hummer if things played out differently. I would have had you in the most amorous way possible with the candles and the roses, fluffy pillows and chocolate covered strawberries…but none of that ever happened." Tyler's eyes glimmered with emotion. "I saw you first, Jamie. When you came here last year and I saw you walk through those front doors," he pointed at the doors, "I thought you were the most beautiful girl in the world. You walked like you were a little shy and at the same time confident, if that makes any sense. I told myself you would be mine but three weeks and three days later you were dating my best friend and I hated Reid _so_ much after that. I told my mom and dad I wanted to transfer but they wanted reasons why. I couldn't give them a good reason and I didn't want them to think I was a pansy if I said it was because of a _girl_, because of _you_. So I stayed and waited, and waited, and waited. There were so many chances that I could have taken advantage of, then we would be where we are now. I wanted to wait until you were over Reid and I knew you would _eventually_ get over him because _all_ the girls did in the end. So like I said, I waited. Then you moved and I was heartbroken. After a few months of pouting, I went partying with Reid and they only girls I ever ended up with at the end of the party were the black-haired, blue-eyed ones. Reid had his blondes, saying he had to forget about you and move on, like it was nothing."

Jamie saw a tear roll down Tyler's face and he heart dropped.

"It took me a while longer," he said with a laugh, wiping the tear away with the back of his hand. "I wish I could lie to you, like Reid would have, but I can't. The minute you came back to Spenser, I looked at you and I barely felt a thing."

Jamie's breath caught and she took a tiny gasp of air. "W-what?" She didn't understand. Where was he going with this? What did he mean he had barely felt a thing?

"That's what it took for me to get over you. You broke my heart even though you didn't mean to. I had to deal with your rejection for that first semester you were here and when you left, I gradually began to get over you, despite the fact that I didn't even know that myself. I had prayed that you would walk through those doors," he pointed again and his bottom lip trembled, "and I promised, I swore, I would make you mine, tell you how I felt about you."

Jamie felt hot tears falling down her face and she reached for Tyler's hands but he pulled it away.

"But, _but _when you _walked through those doors_," Tyler said for the third time, "I knew I was over you."

Why was he telling her this? How could he be over her when they were basically dating? "T-Tyler?" she spluttered. "I d-don't under-understand…"

He looked at her and his eyes that had been filled with tears only a moment ago were dry and his blue eyes were shining with happiness. He was glad he was telling her all of this. He was happy he could walk away from her with a clear conscience. "Jamie, when I had sex with you last night, the night before, and all the other nights leading back to the Hummer, I knew I didn't love you. Every time I said your name and every time you said mine, I didn't _feel_ like I loved you. You were just another girl. Just another Lacey, another Stacey."

Jamie was devastated. There her kind of boyfriend stood before her kind of crying while she was kind of dying as he told her that he didn't love her. He told her he had _used_ her like he and Reid had used Lacey and now Reid was using Stacey.

Reid had taught him well.

"I didn't mean to use you, Jamie. I just wanted to hold you in my arms so I could go to sleep at night and tell myself that I had really had sex with you and it was not a dream. Then I could move on. I hoped that after that first night my feelings would return for you but they did not. I'm telling you all of this so you know why I can never kiss you or never make love to you again. If you were any other girl then I could have kept on screwing around with you like it was nothing but seeing as you're not, you happen to be one of my best friends. You and Reid have always been my best friends, Jamie. Now when I'm with you it's like we're not even friends and I can't be friends with Reid anymore because I have you and he _loves_ you."

Jamie tried to act like she knew what he was talking about.

"So now I know," Tyler said. "We were always meant to be friends and nothing more."

"We're breaking up?" Jamie asked and hated herself for sounding so dumb.

"Yes," Tyler said. "We're better off as friends."

"Because of Reid?"

"No," he said. "Because of _us_."

Then Jamie understood and it felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. Reid had always been the one to do this to her and now Tyler. "_You USED me!"_

"Not on purpose!"

"How could you?"

"I didn't mean to, I swear to God, Jamie. I had to see if I loved you and I do. It's just more of a brotherly, friendly love."

"You…used…me…" Jamie's chin fell to her chest and her heart screamed as the duct tape pealed off and it broke into two familiar pieces.

"Don't hate me, Jame. It's better off this way," Tyler said, patting her awkwardly on the shoulder.

"Don't _touch_ me!" Jamie screamed and her body seemed like a heavy weight pulling her down, down, down.

"_Reid_ is who you are _meant_ to be with, never _me_. I stole a week of heaven from him but it was also a week of hell. I wish I loved you, Jamie. I wish it so _so_ much. And Reid was right. You are too high-maintenance for me."

Jamie fell to her knees on the cold floor waiting for Tyler to pull her back up into his arms and hug her, telling her she forgot to change her calendar and it was the first of April, but he didn't. Instead he started walking down the hall and left her to cry as she clutched at her broken, crushed heart.

She was done with the Sons of Ipswich. She knew Reid would be chasing at her heels now, Tyler would never be able to make eye contact with her, Caleb would be annoyed with her, and Pogue would think she was a drama queen. She was done with Ipswich and she was done with the stupid, pathetic excuse for a great school.

Jamie reached into the inside pocket of her Spenser coat and grabbed her cell phone.

"Mom," she said to her mother's answer machine. "I'm done with Spenser," and she hung up.

**Author's note: I guess I'll just leave this to rot since I am getting next to no reviews. Make up your own happy ending, I guess. The only thing that could inspire me to continue is if I got a bunch of complaints about the ending or a bunch of reviews and seeing I do not see either ever happening, I suppose I'm done. **

**~G*O*W**


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